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New laws cover credit watches, exotic pets and feted fruit

(AP) - The list of new laws taking effect imposes new penalties on
everything from counterfeiting to street racing and recognize the
hardships faced by the families of mobilized soldiers.

Here's a snapshot of some new laws:

-IDENTITY THEFT: Consumers can limit access to their credit
information by paying a small fee to have it frozen. If they want
to make a purchase that requires a new line of credit they can pay
to lift the freeze. Victims of identity theft can have the fee
waived. The law also requires credit card companies to take more
verification steps when an address on an application is different
from one where a solicitation was sent.

-PHONE RECORDS: It'll be a crime to knowingly sell or attempt to
sell a telephone record of state residents without their consent.
The law covers records of calls dialed or received.

-EXOTIC PETS: Owners of exotic animals - lions, bears, leopards
and gorillas, for instance - can face stiffer criminal penalties if
those animals get loose and harm someone. They must also post signs
noting a "dangerous" animal is on the premises.

-STREET RACING: Traffic laws specifically ban street racing. It
falls under the state's careless and reckless driving statute
making it a misdemeanor to drive with a wanton disregard for the
safety of people or property.

-MAKING MONEY: Counterfeiting currency or possessing devices for
that purpose will carry hefty state fines and prison time. The
crimes will carry up to $100,000 in fines and 20 years in prison.

-ELECTION PROTECTION: Supplying deceptive information about the
time, place or details of an election could bring gross misdemeanor
charges. The law also makes it a crime to knowingly give false
information about voter eligibility.

-SOLDIER HELP: Employers will be required to grant leave time
for families of deployed soldiers in a few instances. Family
members will be eligible for up to 10 days of unpaid leave when a
relative on active duty is injured or killed. Family members are
also entitled to time off to attend send-off or homecoming
ceremonies. Upon returning from service, military veterans will
qualify for resident tuition rates at state colleges and
universities.

-STATE FRUIT: Minnesota's symbolic hall of fame gets a new
entrant. The Honeycrisp apple, a variation developed at the
University of Minnesota, becomes the official state fruit. It joins
other icons as the loon (the state bird), the walleye (the state
fish) and milk (the state drink).